Henry baer



(No Model.)

H.BABR. THBRMOSTATIG FIRE ALARM.

No. 569,851. Patented Oct. 20, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

HENRY BAER, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

THERMOSTATIC FIRE-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,851, dated October 20, 1896.

Application filed March 7, 1896.

T0 to whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, HENRY BAER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermostatic Fire-Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to certain improvements in thermostatic fire-alarms, in which, in place of the expansion of a suitable thermostatic bar under the influence of the direct heat of the fire, the bar is constantly subjected to the influence of the heat of a suitable flame and the heating effect on the thermostatic bar interrupted in case of fire, when the smoke caused by the same extinguishes the heating medium and produces thereby .the closing of an electric alarm-circuit, so

that attention is drawn to the starting fire.

My invention consists of a thermostatic firealarm, which comprises a thermostatic bar that is attached at one end to a non-conducting shelf heated by a gas-flame or other heat agency, and which is connected at its upper free end with a regulating device, by which the supply of gas to the flame is regulated, and is also connected with adetent, 011 which a movable contact is supported, which contact is released when the action of the heat agency on the thermostatic baris interrupted by the contraction of said bar, so that it forms an electric connection with a stationary contact and closes an electric circuit, by which the alarm of fire is given.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my improved thermostatic fire-alarm, showing the front door of the same in open position, so that the interior parts are in view, said parts being shown in normal position. Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly in horizontal section, on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the operative parts of my improved fire-alarm, showing the same in their second position, so as to indicate a fire; and Fig. at is a detail horizontal section on line 4 4, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the exterior casing of my improved thermo- Seria1N0.582,80 1. (No model.)

static fire-alarm, which is provided with a hinged door A, that is fastened by a suitable look a, so that no one except the party in possession of the key has access to the interior of the fire-alarm. The casing is provided with bottom and top openings to a, which can be opened or closed by means of small pivoted covers a so that an updraft of air from the lower toward the upper end of the casing can take place. At the inside bottom walls of the casing and of the cover A are arranged V-shaped plates a that extend over the airopenings a a, so as to prevent a direct draft of air through the casing, the air being compelled to pass first into the channel formed by the V-shaped plates a and then to the interior of the casing.

At the interior of the casing A is arranged a non-conducting plate or shelf 13, which is preferably made of slate, porcelain, or other refractory material, and provided with an opening I), that is located vertically above a small gas-burner C, which is arranged at the lower part of the casing A and to which the gas is supplied by a supply-pipe O, which enters at the upper part of the casing and extends in downward direction to the burner C. The gas-burner is surrounded by a chimney G which is protected against breakage by suitable rods 7, that pass through the bottom of the casing and through the shelf or plate 13, so as to support the latter in position in the casing. Below the chimney is arranged a sheet-metal gallery 0 which is provided with an opening 0, and a ring-shaped slide C, also provided with an opening 0 so that the access of air to the flame can be regulated to keep up the proper combustion of the gas, as shown in Fig. 4. To the shelf B is applied above the heat-opening b a thermostatic bar D, which is formed in the usual manner of two thin layers of sheet metal of different coeificients of expansion, such as brass and steel, which thin layers are riveted together. The lower end of the thermostatic bar D is applied to the shelf B, while the upper free end is connected at one side by a pivot-link cl with a crank cl of a gas-cock d by which the supply of gas to the burner O, and thereby the flame,is regulated automatically. The

gas-supply pipe C is further provided above the gas-regulating cock (I with a main gascock 6, so that the supply of gas can be shut off entirely when the thermostatis not up for use or when the same has to be interrupted for some reason or other. The gas-regulating cock (Z is necessary, so as to provide for the varying pressure of the gas in the su p ply-pipe and for keeping thereby the heating-flame at a uniform size. The heated air generated by the flame passes through the opening I) and acts on the thermostatic bar D, so as to cause the greater or less expansion of the same, according to the size of the gas-flame. The upper end of the thermostatic bar D is further connected by a pivot-link fwith an oscillating detent F, pivoted at its lower end to earsf, attached to the shelf B, and which is provided with a curved upper end, on which rests a weighted and pivoted contact or latch G, pivoted to suitable ears g, applied to a post G, which is attached to the shelf B and connected by a conducting-wire P with a suitable binding-post P, applied to and insulated from the side wall of the casing. A second shorter post- G provided with a horizontal tixed contact g is arranged on the shelf B in front of the post G vertically below the movable contact G and also connected by a cond ucting-wire p with a second binding-postp, which is electrically connected with a suitable tire-alarm circuit arranged in the office of the building or in the office of the watchman or at some distance from the building in the officc of a district messenger company. The cover A of the casing is provided with a glasscovered opening a which is normally closed by means of a pivoted slide-platc a, that can be readily opened from time to time, so as to observe if the heating-flame is properly burning at the interior of the casing.

My improved thermostatic lire-alarm operates as follows: \Vhen all the parts are in their normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the thermostatic bar D is heated by the small gasflame or other heating agency below the same, itis sufficiently expanded under the in fluence of the heat so as not only to regulate the supply of gas by means of the regulating gascock (1 but also to keep it expanded or I cut to such an extent that the oscillating detent F is moved sidewise, so as to support the pivoted contact G in horizontal position on its bent upper en d and prevent the cont-act from dropping. As soon, however, as the smoke caused by a tire enters into the casing and into the lower part of the chimney C the heating gas-flame is extinguished, because the smoke shuts out the supply of air to the flame. Col'tsequently the thermostatic bar commences to cooled and to contract, so that the supply of gas is interrupted by the automatieally-regnlated gas-cock (Z and simultaneously the oscillating detent F is moved into the position shown in Fig. 3, thus releasing the contact G and producing thereby the dropping of the same by gravity in contact with the contact-piece of the post G whereby the alarm-circuit is closed and the alarm of fire given at the office or other place where the tire-alarm box is located. It appears, therefore, that my improved thermostatic tire-alarm, instead of being based on the direct action of the heat of the lire on a thermostatic bar and the closing of a circuit by said bar, is operated by the exclusion of air from the fire-alarm box and the consequent extinguishment of the heating-flame and the cooling off of the thermostatic.bar, whereby the further supply of gas to the flame is interrupted and the circuit-closing con tact automatimtlly operated. It is ob vious, therefore, that my improved tire-alarm is much more sensitive than the thermostatic tire-alarms heretofore in use, for the reason that the smoke usually fills up a room before the fire can exert a suflieient degree of heat 011 the thermostatic bar so as to cause the proper action of the same.

My improved thermostatic firc-alarm is comparatively inexpensive, can be located at any desired point of a building, and forms a very etlective and reliable protection against fire for residences, hotels, warehouses, factories, and buildings of all kinds.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a thermostatic tire-alarm, the combination of a thermostatic bar, means for heating said bar, a detent connected with the thermostatic bar, a movable contact supported by said detent, and another con tact adapted to be engaged by said movable contact whenever the heat action on the thermostatic bar is interrupted, so that an electric circuit closed and the alarm of lire given, substantially as set forth.

2. In a thermostatic fire-alarm, the combination with a thermostatic bar, of means for constantly applying a heat action on said bar, a regulating device connected with the thermostatic bar for regulating the supply of gas to the heating agency, a detent also connected with said thermostatic bar, a pivoted contact supported by said detent and another contact adapted to be engaged by the pivoted contact when the same is released by the supporting-rod so as to close an electric alarmcircuit, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a casing, provided with suitable draft-openings, of a gas-burner at the interior of said casing, means for supplying air to said burner, a shell above the gas-burner, provided with an opening vertically above the flame, a thermostatic bar applied to the shelf and arranged above said opening, means connected with the free end of the thermostatic bar for regulating the supply of gas to the flame, a detent also connected with the free end of the thermostatic bar, a pivoted contact resting normally on the detent, and another contact which is engaged by the movable contact when the same is released by the extinction of the flame and the contraction of the thermostatic bar, so as to produce the closing of the electric circuit and the sounding of an alarm, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY BAER.

Witnesses PAUL GoEPEL, GEO. W. JAEKEL. 

